Sedina case: 'Hire Godfred Dame to handle appeal, he won at High Court' – Paul Adom-Otchere to AG

Host of Good Evening Ghana, Paul Adom-Otchere, has supported a proposal by pollster Mussa Dankwah that former Attorney General Godfred Dame should be considered to lead the state’s appeal in the Sedina Tamakloe case.

Mr Adom-Otchere said involving Mr Dame in the appeal process could help address public concerns surrounding the Court of Appeal’s decision to acquit and discharge the former MASLOC Chief Executive Officer and reduce perceptions that the matter is being influenced by political considerations.

Speaking on Channel One TV’s The Big Issue on Saturday, August 1, he argued that the intense public debate over the ruling had shifted the case beyond legal arguments into issues of public confidence and perception.

He said engaging Mr Dame, who previously led the prosecution of the case at the High Court, could help separate the legal process from political interpretations.

Mr Adom-Otchere referenced a suggestion by Mussa Dankwah that the Attorney General could consider appointing private legal practitioners to handle the appeal to avoid the matter being viewed through a political lens.

“Initially, when you read it, it's laughable. But if you think about it, you will see that the question about answering the perception of corruption has so deepened that everyone, especially those who are close to the government, is thinking that something has to be done to correct this thing,” he said.

He noted that Mr Dame’s previous involvement in securing the conviction at the High Court could strengthen public confidence in the appeal process.

“Godfred Dame prosecuted the case, he won in the High Court. You came in and they said that you did a bad job at the Court of Appeal because Sedina is NDC,” he said.

The comments follow the Court of Appeal’s decision to overturn the conviction of Sedina Tamakloe and acquit and discharge her after she had been sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment by the High Court for offences including stealing and causing financial loss to the state during her tenure as MASLOC Chief Executive Officer.

Mr Adom-Otchere maintained that while legal issues surrounding the case will continue to be debated, state institutions must also consider the impact of such decisions on public confidence in Ghana’s anti-corruption efforts.